Dining Room Manager

Push Operations; Sooke; On-site; CAD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Hotel & restaurant discounts

Professional development

Opportunity to shape dining experience

Job summary

Sooke Harbour House is seeking an experienced Dining Room Manager to lead service on the floor and collaborate with culinary and beverage leadership to elevate our new dining direction.

Reporting to the Director of Food & Beverage, you will coach servers, advance wine knowledge, and ensure warm, polished hospitality while rolling out the new menu and beverage program.

Qualifications

• Must have 3–5 years of progressive restaurant experience, including supervisory roles.
• Strong background in upscale, fine dining or chef‑driven concepts.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and develop front‑of‑house teams.
• Knowledge and passion for wine, food and beverage.

Responsibilities

• Lead the dining room during service with an on‑the‑floor leadership presence.
• Support the Director of Food & Beverage in daily operations and menu development.
• Coach, mentor and develop servers, bartenders, and support staff.
• Ensure elevated service standards, proper pacing, and guest engagement.
• Collaborate with Executive Chef on kitchen/ dining room communication and wine program.
• Recruiting, onboarding and scheduling support for front‑of‑house team.

Skills

Restaurant leadership

Wine knowledge

Communication

Coaching & training

Guest service

Education

Serving It Right

Wine education (WSET/ISG)

Tools

POS systems

Scheduling software

Labour management tools

Job description

Sooke Harbour House is one of British Columbia’s most iconic coastal destinations, with a longstanding reputation for food, wine and hospitality rooted in Vancouver Island.

As we enter an exciting new chapter for our restaurant, including the launch of a new culinary direction and dining experience, we are looking for an experienced Dining Room Manager who is passionate about exceptional service, wine, team development and creating memorable guest experiences.

This is an opportunity for a restaurant professional who loves being on the floor, developing a service team and working closely with culinary and beverage leadership to bring an elevated dining experience to life.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Director of Food & Beverage, the Dining Room Manager is a hands‑on leadership position responsible for the daily execution of service within the restaurant.

Working closely with the Director of Food & Beverage and Executive Chef, this role will be instrumental in supporting the launch and continued development of our new menu and service experience.

The Dining Room Manager will lead from the floor — coaching the team during service, developing food and wine knowledge, reinforcing service standards and ensuring every guest receives warm, polished and knowledgeable hospitality.

We are looking for someone with a strong restaurant background who understands the details that make great dining rooms successful: pacing, presence, product knowledge, anticipation, communication and genuine hospitality.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the dining room during service, providing a visible and engaged management presence on the floor.
• Support the Director of Food & Beverage with the day‑to‑day operation and continued development of the restaurant.
• Help lead the rollout of our new menu and evolving dining experience, ensuring the service team is confident in menu knowledge, ingredients, preparation methods and storytelling.
• Coach, mentor and develop servers, support staff and bartenders through ongoing hands‑on training and feedback.
• Develop and reinforce elevated service standards, including table maintenance, sequence of service, pacing, guest engagement and attention to detail.
• Lead daily pre‑shift meetings and ensure the team is prepared with menu changes, features, wine pairings, guest notes and service priorities.
• Build the team’s wine knowledge and confidence in making thoughtful recommendations and pairings.
• Work closely with the Director of Food & Beverage on continued beverage education, wine programming and service development.
• Collaborate closely with the Executive Chef and culinary team to ensure strong communication between the kitchen and dining room.
• Monitor the flow and pacing of service and proactively address challenges before they impact the guest experience.
• Build relationships with guests and create personalized, memorable dining experiences.
• Handle guest feedback and service recovery with professionalism, confidence and genuine care.
• Assist with recruitment, onboarding, training and performance development of the front‑of‑house team.
• Support scheduling and daily labour management while maintaining appropriate service levels.
• Assist with beverage inventory, controls and operational standards as required.
• Support the execution of tasting menus, wine dinners, private dining and special events.
• Maintain all liquor, food safety and health and safety requirements.
• Foster a positive, professional and accountable restaurant culture focused on teamwork and continuous improvement.

What We’re Looking For

• Minimum 3–5 years of progressive restaurant experience, including experience in a supervisory or management role.
• Strong background in upscale, fine dining or chef‑driven restaurants strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience leading and developing front‑of‑house service teams.
• Strong knowledge and genuine interest in wine, food and beverage.
• Confidence discussing wine, making pairing recommendations and educating service teams.
• Strong understanding of elevated sequence of service and dining room standards.
• A hands‑on leadership style with a genuine desire to be present on the restaurant floor.
• Excellent communication, coaching and interpersonal skills.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage a busy service while maintaining attention to detail.
• Experience with POS systems, scheduling and labour management.
• Serving It Right certification or ability to obtain.
• Formal wine education such as WSET, ISG or equivalent is considered a strong asset.
• Previous hotel experience is welcome but not required — we are primarily seeking a strong restaurant professional.

What We Offer

• Extended health and dental benefits
• Hotel and restaurant discounts
• Professional development and continued food and wine education
• The opportunity to work closely with experienced culinary and beverage leadership
• The opportunity to play an important role in the continued evolution of Sooke Harbour House’s dining experience

Join Our Team

This role is ideal for someone who is passionate about the craft of restaurant service and takes pride in developing both people and experiences.

If you are energized by a busy dining room, love sharing your knowledge of food and wine, and want to help build a service culture alongside a talented culinary and beverage team, we would love to hear from you.